Snacks and Lunches

Snacks

We provide a snack and a drink for all children during the morning and afternoon session. Staff carefully plan and prepare snack. We aim for this snack to be as healthy as possible e.g. apples, cheese, plus a choice of milk or water to drink. We place great importance upon children developing healthy eating awareness. Baking encourages the development of fine motor skills and promotes table manners and a healthy attitude to food. Snack time is a social time and all children are encouraged to participate. Children can come for snack with friends and can choose if they wish to eat snack. Water is available throughout the day.

Children also receive an ‘exit snack’ when they leave at the end of the session. It is hoped this will promote healthy attitudes to food and encourage children to ‘have a taste’. We kindly ask that parents avoid bringing into nursery school any food or sweets at the end of the session.

Snack costs 30p for a half-day session or 60p for a full day. The school uses the online platform, ParentPay to collect snack money. The amount due each half-term will be registered on your child’s ParentPay account. You will receive login details for ParentPay when your child starts nursery school.

Please let us know if there is any food your child cannot eat. If you did not include this information on your Admission Form, then please talk to the Headteacher or a member of staff immediately.

Lunches

 We view lunchtimes as a continuation of our learning environment and curriculum for our children.

If a child is attending a full-day, parents will be expected to provide a healthy packed lunch for their child. It is the responsibility of parents to provide a suitable packed-lunch container where food items can be stored securely and appropriately until the lunchtime period. The school does not have facilities to keep lunchboxes in a chilled environment so parents must ensure the food they send can be stored and safely eaten at ambient room temperature or use an icepack to help maintain a lower temperature. Empty packets and un-eaten food will be returned home in the lunchboxes so that parents can see what their child has/not eaten each day rather than be thrown away.

The school will ask parents not to send in food containing nuts e.g. chocolate spread and will discourage the provision of high fat, high salt and high sugar food such as crisps and cakes. As there have been some recent fatal incidents with young children choking on grapes, we will also ask parents not to send grapes into school.

There is no need to send a drink as we provide a choice of water or milk. You will receive a
copy of the school’s Food and Drink Policy which gives full details about our requirements and expectations for snack and lunch time. As we frequently have children with severe nut allergies, please do not send in any food containing nuts. Chocolate spread and breakfast/cereal bars need to be checked carefully.

The children will sit together at tables with staff. To minimise possible allergic reactions children will not be allowed to swap or share the food in their lunchbox. Issues regarding the contents of a child’s packed lunch will be dealt with sensitively by staff.

The British Nutrition Foundation recommends the following guidelines for packed lunches

• A portion of starchy food e.g., wholegrain bread, pitta, plain crackers, pasta or rice salad
• Fresh fruit and vegetables e.g. apples/oranges cherry tomatoes/ carrot sticks
• A portion of dairy food (or diary free alternative) e.g. cheese, yoghurt
• Small portion of protein lean meat, fish or alternative e.g. ham, Quorn, tuna

Click here to read our Food & Drink Policy